TIFF Report: Prague Review
The latest film from Danish director Ole Christian Madsen - whose previous film, Nordkraft got rather a lot of play around here - finds the director further cementing his reputation for chronicling failed, failing and hopeless relationships. With Prague he pulls back the stylistic flourishes of Nordkraft to focus one a pivotal weekend in the lives of Christoffer and Maja, a middle aged Danish couple travelling to Prague to collect the body of the father who abandoned Christoffer when he was only twelve.
Madsen works hand in hand here with actors Stine Stengade and Mads Mikkelsen, both of whom turn in powerfully realistic performances as the married couple slowly stripping away the facade of their relationship. Things begin pleasantly enough with the two appearing much like any other couple but it isn't long before Christoffer informs his wife that he knows that she is having an affair and this is where the real meat of the film begins, the layers of denial slowly being stripped away to reveal what lies beneath.
Stengade is excellent as the unfaithful wife, simply desperate for a little attention, but it is Mikkelsen who carries the film, perfectly capturing a man caught between anger, shame, and the desperate urge to somehow impossibly make things right and continue with life as it has always been. He is a man seeing his life crumble on multiple fronts, forced to deal with being discarded by his wife and mother of his child in the present while also being forced to accept the long past abandonment of his father, and the conflicting forces seething beneath his stoic exterior are positively tangible.
Madsen is resolute in his approach here, there are no easy answers, no simple resolution, no false hopes offered. He is setting out to capture a relationship in its final stage, the emotional rupture finally bursting into undeniable view, and he does just that. His script is sharp and insightful, the dialogue and performances uncannily accurate, the edit lean and energetic. And while Prague shows Madsen in a more restrained mode than did Nordkraft it is still abundantly clear that this is a man who knows his way around the camera. He also shows a surprisingly strong sense of humor, injecting small bursts of absurdity that reinforce the emotional isolation of the characters in this foreign land while also relieving the tension in what could otherwise have been an emotionally oppressive piece. The surly waiter, the hugging nurses, the lawyer who insists on standing for undisclosed reasons, the repeated confusion of beer and coffee whenever Christoffer orders at a bar, they all inject moments of humor into the film while also staying true to the world and themes of the film.
Challenging with superb performances, intelligent writing and just the right amount of flash, Prague is a truly rewarding experience. Very highly recommended.
